Ladies Afternoon Tea

 

         "He Speaks to Me"

 

Saturday, May 12th @ 2:00 pm

Redemption Fellowship Church

All ladies 12 years old and up are invited.

Tickets are $10 per person. 

Tickets may be purchased from Alma Stone, Denise Hedgeman, or Sheila Toppin by May 1st after the Worship Service on Sunday or the Women's Bible Study on Tuesday or Saturday.

Uplifting Educational Resource

PEACEABLE LIVING

by Karen Loritts

Jesus Christ proclaimed, “I came to give life and give it more abundantly”.  What an incredible statement for every believer in Christ! The very thought of knowing that a believer has peace with God, forgiveness of sin and eternal life but is offered a quality of life that is abundant. It is a heart stopper.

However, like many believers, I have struggled to fully enjoy this abundant life. Yes, because of salvation I enjoy the peace with God. My future is secure; I will not die separated from God. However, regularly in my daily living the peace of God eludes me. It is this peace of God that gives definition to the abundant life. What does it mean to have the peace of God? How does it affect my daily living? How do I hinder living that abundant life in Christ? I believe peaceable living is attainable through my surrender to the peace of God. The scriptures clearly bare this out.

Let me suggest three possible ways to attain this peace of God:

• The Peace of God that guards my heart.
• The Peace of God that guards my mind.
• The Peace of God that guides my way.

Colossians 3:15, and let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful.

When we allow our hearts to be at complete rest in God and His peace to call the shots over every intent on my heart then I am at peace. My needless fears and frustrations and events of life do not overwhelm me when he guards my heart issues.

It is the peace of God that I allow to guard my inner soul, my heart.

A very familiar passage, Philippians 4:7, reminds us that “the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Yes, it is His peace that will set a garrison, a guard, not only around my heart but also my mind (Romans 12:2). God’s peace will inhabit my thoughts and renew my mind. When I wander into my own thinking and problem solving my finite mind fails me. However, the peace of God that guards my mind is way beyond my own comprehension.

Lastly, let me suggest a third aspect to peaceable living, the peace of God that guides my way.

Proverbs 3:5, 6 states, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” 

If this is a true statement, and it is, then I can truly rely on the peace of God to guide my way fully.  Through this journey in life I am assured that there will be dead ends, sharp detours, straight-aways and cross walks. The Christian journey is full of unknowns, yet the sovereign God is not asleep at the switch, startled at life happenings or not concerned with me, I am a mere speck in His vast universe. He is a caring Father that announces His willingness to guide us. The responsibility that we owe is to simply trust then rest in His peace to guide us through the journey.

Well, peaceable living is a promise from our Savior. We must choose each day to allow the filling of the Holy Spirit to bear His fruit of this peace of God.

Linda Thomas
Women’s Ministry In-touch Committee

Upcoming Events

Women's Ministry Bible Study
Begins week of March 19th. Same topic offered twice a week for six weeks: Tuesday session at 7:00 pm and Saturday session at 10:00 am
Theme: "He Speaks to Me"
Contact - Women's Ministry Council

Outreach - Summerhill Community Ministry Resurrection (Easter) Gift Bags
Items need by March 25th
Contact - In-reach Committee

Fellowship - Ballethnic Dance Company presents Jazzy Sleeping Beauty

Group attendance on Sunday, March 25^th @2:00 pm

Call Chantal Barley @ 770-719-3492 for tickets

Contact - Girl's Night Out Committee

Fellowship - Girl’s Night Live

Sunday, April 1^st @6:30 pm

Click on link for tickets: http://georgia.thejoyfm.com/event/girls-night-live

Contact - Girls Night Out Committee

Fellowship - Redemption Fellowship Girl’s Night Out

Saturday, April 14^th @6:00 pm @ Yolanda Stafford's home

Contact - Girl's Night Out Committee

Annual Event - Redemption Fellowship Ladies Tea*

Saturday, May 12th @ 12:00 noon
Theme: "He Speaks to Me"

Contact - Retreat/Fellowship Committee
*More information forthcoming

Lift Every Voice and Sing written by James Weldon Johnson

Lift every voice and sing
Till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the listening skies,
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of hope that the present has brought us,
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.

Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chastening rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died,
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered
We have come treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered.
Out from the gloomy past,
Till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who has by Thy might
Led us into the light.
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,
Lest, our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand,
True to our God
True to our native land.

                           Words by James Weldon Johnson
                           Music by J. Rosamond Johnson

No Greater Love...

As I think of February the first holiday of course that comes to mind is Valentine’s Day, a day to celebrate love.  I often wonder why a day to celebrate love when we should show love every day.  Doesn’t Christ show his love to us many times a day?  He showed the greatest love we he laid down his life for our sins.  How should we show Him that we love Him.  Not just once a year as in Valentine’s Day, or once a week when we go to Sunday service, but through a true relationship such as the one we have with the loved ones in our families.  Isn’t it great to know that God doesn’t need a holiday to show us that He loves us.  He reminds us of his love daily, actually many times a day.

I saw the following comments on a blog once when I was doing a web search.  They are so true.  Meditate on these as you thank God for the greatest love ever, his crucifixion and death on Calvary and his resurrection.  God took human form.  He took a beating for our sins past, present, and future although he had not sinned.  That is true love!!!  God’s love never fails!!

·          We give our loved ones flowers; He gives us beautiful fields, mountains, oceans, and tropical paradises.

·          We make special dinner reservations for our loved one; He is preparing a feast for us in Heaven.

·          We give our loved one our life in marriage; He gave us His Son Jesus Christ so we can spend and eternity with Him if we should choose Him. 

·          God’s ultimate “valentine” was becoming a sacrifice for us.  There is no greater love; it is a live that has produced priceless salvation to many.  As you go about your day today, remember the lover of your soul and don’t forget to show your love toward Him.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.   John 3:16

Greater love has no one that his, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.    John 15:13

We love Him because He first loved us.    1 John 4:19

Be blessed as you rejoice in God’s love.

Denise Hedgeman

Just do one thing.

Wow.  2011 is about to cross the finish line and 2012 is at the starting gate.  If you're anything like me you may be scratching your head and wondering where an entire year went.  You're leafing through old to-do lists while setting up your calendar for 2012 and you're a little bummed because a lot of things you wanted to do never actually got done.  That's me - plagued by stress of my own design in the form of ever growing lists of things to do.  For my home, my family, my job, my parents -  and I think I'm on that list somewhere.  But today, I'm reminded of and encouraged by the story of Mary and Martha in the tenth chapter of Luke.  

  ³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

   ⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one.^[f] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Did you catch that?  Jesus told Martha (and I can almost hear him gently scolding her) that she was worried and upset about many things but few things are needed - really only one.  What was that one thing?  Read verse 39 again.  Sitting at the Lord's feet and listening.  No hustling and bustling, no lists and no anxious worrying.  My dear sisters, when we take time to sit at the feet of Jesus and focus our attentions on Him, then He helps us to focus our attention rightly on everything else.

Alma Stone

P.S.

Let's sit at His feet together.  We will begin the "One In A Million" bible study Tuesday,  January 10 at 7 pm at the church and a second class on Saturdays, beginning January 14th at 10 am.  

'Tis the Advent Season

The Advent season is a dual celebration of the birth or incarnation of Jesus Christ (First Advent), and the anticipation of his return (Second Advent). Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas and concludes on Christmas Eve. During this time of spiritual remembrance and preparation Christians are encouraged to draw closer to God through a season of prayer, fasting and repentance followed by anticipation, hope and joy.

The Advent wreath is a circular garland of evergreen branches representing eternity. Typically there are five candles arranged on the wreath. During the season of Advent one candle on the wreath is lit each Sunday as a part of the Advent services. Each candle represents an aspect of spiritual remembrance of the coming of the Lord and preparation for his second coming.

The three purple (or blue) candles represent hope, love, and peace. The pink (or rose) candle represents joy. The white candle in the center represents purity. The light of the candles symbolize Jesus as the light of the world that comes into the darkness of our lives to bring newness, life, and hope. On Christmas Eve, the white candle (Christ Candle) is lit.

May your Advent season not only be a time of remembrance and preparation, but also an opportunity to share the light of Jesus with another.

For further study (click on links):

Article:

Bratcher, Dennis (2011). “The Season of Advent: Anticipation and Hope.” Retrieved from http://www.crivoice.org/cyadvent.html

Audio:

Sproul, R.C. (nd).  “Lecture 4: The Advent of Christ.” Ligonier Ministries. http://www.ligonier.org/learn/series/messiah_is_born/the-advent-of-christ/

Devotional:

Beliefnet (2011). “Advent Calendar.” http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/Advent/Advent-Calendar.aspx